Moving Along

Well, I totally skipped out on the social at the yarn store this weekend. I just wasn't feeling the awkward attempt at socializing and was pretty certain I was not up to resisting the urge to buy more yarn, so I went to a movie instead.

Things are progressing on the project front, if slowly. The blanket I am working on is starting to actually look like a blanket, and I am getting more excited about working on it, so it is eating up my sweater-making time. It is also eating up yarn at a ridiculous rate. As far as I can tell, my gauge is correct, yet it still seems as if it is using up yarn way too fast. I went ahead and picked up a few more skeins when I was at the store this weekend. I'm already going on something like five different dye lots, so I figured that adding one more to the mix probably wouldn't hurt anything. (It's a natural color and a fleck to boot, and I am very carefully alternating dye lots so I don't get any weird color pooling, so the multiple lots isn't having an adverse effect on the project.) Wonder of wonders, they actually had enough skeins in one of the dye lots I was already using, though. Score!

As I mentioned, been working on the blanket, so while progress has been made on my sweater, it hasn't been enough to warrant a new photo. I did take it with me Friday night to my husband's Central Market gig and worked on it in honor of "I Love Yarn Day." That was nice. I am trying to console myself with the reassurance that the piece I am working on, the back, is by far the biggest piece of the project, and so once that is (finally) done, it will all be downhill.

Also! I can finally show you a project I finished a little while ago, now that it has been gifted to its owner.

Jamie's Scarf by Cori 2011.

Modeled by moi.

Pattern: Diagonal Box Stitch Afghan by Sandra Petit
Yarn: Lion Brand Jamie DK in Blue Bonnet, Sunshine, and Little Boy Blue (one ball each)
Hook: K

I wanted something warm and thick for my friend to be able to wear on recess duty (she's a teacher), so I used three strands at once in my old standby blanket pattern. This yarn is lovely, and as soon as Lion Brand announced it, I knew I had to make something out of it for my friend, and as she had a birthday this past weekend, the timing worked out quite well. I just worked it to a decent width and kept extending the length until I ran out of yarn more or less. It isn't terribly long, so I added some buttons from my ridiculous (but handy) button collection so it could be securely fastened about the neck, and voila! I am pretty happy with how it turned out. Super warm and soft.

There is another small project I might try to get whipped up this week, as I continue to work on my two biggies. I have also been looking at my sock yarn and dreaming a little bit. My two most recent acquisitions:

Cascade 220 Fingering in 9593

I couldn't get a good picture of this one, but it is a really lovely soft greenish grey (and a really lovely soft yarn). I envision this becoming a beautiful pair of socks. Something mostly simple, but maybe with a few cables. Clearly I am dreaming big here, as I haven't even begun to think about learning how to do cables.

Knit Picks Felici in Time Traveler

Then, of course, there is my Time Traveler, which came in this week. That will eventually be a lovely pair of knee socks for myself (and possibly a pair for my daughter as well).

Oh the possibilities...

Party At The Grocery Store!

Being the wife of a gigging musician, especially one involved in as many different bands as my husband, there are many opportunities to go see him play. Sadly, I miss most of those due to my own hermit-issues and because I would have to make arrangements for someone to watch our child that late and our primary babysitter is my mother-in-law, who lives forty-five minutes away. Granted, I know she doesn't mind helping out from time to time (thank you super awesome wonderful MIL), but I hate asking her to make the drive out here just to hang out while the kiddo is sleeping and more often than not then have to drive back home ridiculously late (because she usually won't take us up on our offer to spend the night).

For special occasions of course, like the upcoming Holy Moly CD release show, I will definitely try to work things out. Baby Girl has a sleepover at Grandma's in the offing next month, for example. But not all of his gigs are the typical shows at bars or clubs that have no seating and don't start until ten or eleven or midnight.  So for the most part, I find myself looking for gigs at more family-friendly venues and at more reasonable hours to attend. When I can take Baby Girl along it has the added bonuses of her getting to see her daddy play, and it automatically gives me someone to talk to during the show--even if that someone doesn't really talk back (at least not in my language) yet.

Enter Central Market. If you are familiar with the place, you already know it's not your average grocery store. What you may not know is that throughout the spring and summer many of the stores often have live music on their patios in the evening. Usually this is to encourage people to come out for their various special events/cookouts or sponsored by local businesses and whatnot. Given the large number of groups that my husband plays with, he actually ends up playing quite a few Central Market gigs throughout the warm-weather seasons. Not all of them are at the Fort Worth store, but I have been trying to make it a habit to attend those that are, at least for the first set or first few songs, depending on the band's start time. Baby Girl and I head up there after her nap (sometimes ending naptime a little early), and we pick up dinner in the store (they have an excellent cafe area where you can get soup, salads, sandwiches, or many other pre-prepared meals that can be headed in their bay of microwaves and taken out to the patio to eat). Then we eat our meal and jam out to whichever group Hubby is playing with.

I know, I know, catching a show at the grocery store? It sounds crazy. But it is actually a total blast. They've got plenty of seating and if you get there early enough you can snag a seat in shade even. Behind the stage there is a pretty decent playground, too. I used to think that was really poor placement, but then I thought about it a little and realized it is actually perfect. All of the amps and speakers are aiming away from the kiddos, and their jubilant noises are behind the band and so covered up by music. Plus, this is a venue I can usually talk my best friends (Baby Girl's godparents) into visiting as well (like me, they prefer venues where you can actually sit down and shows that don't start technically the next morning). I've been known to take my current knitting or crochet project to these gigs as well (though usually not when I have Baby Girl with me). It's just all around good fun.

Last night Hubby had another one of these gigs, playing with a group he is in called Mills & Co. It was a great show, and the weather was extremely cooperative. Baby Girl danced in her chair for a bit and loved watching her daddy play, as always. I even sat with a whole table full of people I had never met before (other friends of the band) and managed to hold more than one intelligent conversation. I would definitely say a good time was had by all. Then we were all home by a little after seven-thirty and able to spend some quality family time watching The Adventures of Pete & Pete (Baby Girl's birthday present to Hubby earlier this week). A lovely evening all around.

She's been practicing her pouty faces of late.

That's a bit better.

Big ol' carton of fresh fruit for dinner!

Hubby doing his thing.

A man of many basses.

I can definitely think of worse ways to kick off a weekend!